Adam McKay talks difficulty of adapting The Boys

The Other Guys director Adam McKay has offered an update regarding the status of his adap of gritty comic The Boys.

The original comic is a brilliant, filthy deconstruction of superhero culture full to bursting with swearing, nudity and bloody violence.

The titular Boys are bad-ass mofos who are tasked with policing superheroes and villains – and using any force necessary.

But it’s precisely that meaty premise that means turning comic writer Garth Ennis’ concept into a marketable, profitable film is a difficult task.

As McKay says: “You really have to wait until the draft is done to get serious about it, plus it’s like a $100 million, rated-R, anti-superhero movie, so we have to see who bites on it.”

Still, he has ideas about who he wants to cast in the film, with Russell Crowe a favourite for team leader Billy Butcher.

“I’ve sat with some people. I really like the idea of Russell Crowe for [ Billy ] Butcher,” the director says. “We met and had kind of an interesting meeting.”